Donkey Punch

35mm presentation - Open water has served as the backdrop for many a taut thriller, from Polanski’s Knife in the Water to Phillip Noyce’s Dead Calm and even Spielberg’s Jaws. The more endless the expanse of blue, the more crowded the boat, the more the claustrophobic tension builds. Enter Donkey Punch by director Olly Blackburn, who takes the familiar conceit and, sure enough, gives it a punch from behind.
Given the brutal nature of the notorious sexual act from which this film derives its name, what could possibly motivate your average fun-loving types to give it a try? Well, the trouble begins when three young women on a weekend spree join four young crewmen on the luxury yacht they’ve borrowed in an effort to score with their new companions. The opportunity for exquisite debauchery on the Mediterranean seems too good to pass up, and Blackburn starts with a correspondingly leisurely pace. But it accelerates all too quickly as drinking and drugging lead to a spontaneous group orgy—and the eponymous event rears its ugly fist. When it’s over, there’s a dead body in the group—sparking a battle between the sexes for survival miles from land, with nowhere to go but overboard.
Donkey Punch features a fresh and impressive British cast whose characters are forced to confront the worst of worst-case scenarios amid initially beautiful but ultimately menacing surroundings—reminding the audience that too much of a good thing is a very, very bad thing.